Simba and Andrey

“Petraveller was communicative and very patient with us.”

Travel has become a significant challenge due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and pet travel is now more challenging than ever. Nonetheless, Petraveller relocated charming Labrador Retriever Simba from Canberra to Washington DC. Pet dad Andrey talks about his pet and explains why he chose Petraveller for Simba’s international relocation. 

When the Ageev family came to Australia in August 2018, they really wanted a dog as a companion at home and to join in during exercise. Andrey recalls, “Christina (my wife) and I were thinking of getting a Labrador or a Golden Retriever. She searched for breeders, and we came across Terranor Labradors. We scheduled an appointment, and drove for eight hours to bring home Simba.” 

Andrey continues, “When we reached the breeder’s kennel, there were only two pups left. One of them came to us very quickly, probably saying, ‘get me, get me’. We named him Simba. We call him different names like Simby, Simka, Simmy, Simboo or Booboo.”

Andrey describes Simba as an amazingly smart dog. Simba attended some puppy classes and learnt some tricks from the Ageev family. Andrey smiles as he recalls, “When Simba was a puppy, he loved to tear the house down, he loved to chew stuff, clothes, his stuff toys, basically anything. He was just so playful.” 

When Andrey and Christina had a baby, Simba became very protective, and did not want anybody near the baby. Andrey says affectionately, “Simba was good and a gentle big brother to our son Nikolai. When Nikolai is playing or walking around, Simba is always beside him. He is a very gentle dog who loves to kiss and cuddle us. He’s a very cheerful and a very friendly dog.”

He adds, “Since my wife and I are gymnastics coaches. We often take Simba to the ocean and let him run, swim and socialise with other dogs. Simba is an athletic dog. He is very sociable and will never get into a fight. He is the type of dog who will walk away.”

The Ageev family moved back to their home in Washington DC, in the United States, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The US is my home country, and we were settling in there for good. When we decided to leave Australia, we wanted to bring Simba with us. But unfortunately, we couldn’t as it was a long process. We left him at our friend’s house in Canberra as we know that the family will take good care of him,” says Andrey.

He adds, “It was devastating to leave Simba behind, but our friend and his family are always in contact with us and give us regular updated on how Simba is doing. They were an amazing family to Simba.”

When it was finally time for Simba to reunite with his family in Washington DC, Andrey contacted Petraveller to organise Simba’s journey from Canberra to the United States. He says, “We only contacted Petraveller as we read some amazing reviews online. Petraveller was communicative and very patient with us. They sent us numerous quotes from different countries and pet travel information. Petraveller was amazing to deal with right from the beginning till now.”

Simba had a comfortable flight and is now happily reunited with the Ageev family. Thank you, Andrey, for reaching out to Petraveller for beloved Simba’s relocation. We wish the Ageev family lots of love, laughter and many adventures with Simba in the US.